This will be the blog home for Forbidden Planet NYC, our brick and mortar store located at 832 Broadway in Manhattan between 13th and 12th Streets, and our online store for those of you who can’t make the visit.

While it will contain a (mostly) complete archive of the articles FPusaDailyPlanet has published, we’ll also be expanding coverage and adding some nifty new features as The Daily Planet develops in its new home. We’ll also be setting this site to re-direct to our new one, making old articles exclusive to the new site.

After a monstrously long hiatus (see what I did there?), the next exciting act of MONSTRESS is here! This beautiful and bewitching series returns with the stakes ever higher and harder choices for the flawed and beloved characters. MONSTRESS is a feast for our eyes and quenches our brain’s thirst for personally epic storytelling. Maika is possessed by the God Monstrum, y’all! Things are not okay and now we can see if they ever will be.

MONSTRESS is a breakout hit for Image Comics. Tackling themes including racism, sexism, weakness, and classism, the series is powerful. I mean that in every sense of the word. Sana Takeda’s art is addictive. The series has walked an incredibly fine line between western comics and manga. Takeda pulls off the brilliant balancing act with engrossing images and heartrending visual storytelling. Thus, a series that is mesmerizing enough to stare at let alone read more than once. You want to look at it all the time. Takeda and writer Marjorie Liu take us back into the crisis of Maika and expands the world with her supporting cast, Kippa and Ren.

While Maika is being a…monster (I can’t help myself), Ren and Kippa journey to Thyria in search of answers to her past. But what they find will be dangers to her future. Welcome back to this alternate world where the subtext is explicit and delicious. Maika’s quest to revenge her mother’s murder will take new twists and turns. This world where the lower class is food and fuel for the upper crust will have new secrets to uncover. Where will this hero’s journey take us next? Most likely someplace pretty freakin’ dark. Without a doubt, it will be somewhere we’ll be hooked to look at. The conclusion is that Maika’s story will probably not end quite how we think it will. And whatever end we find at the end of this trade is going to be too captivating to unsee.

Deadpool is going to kill every Marvel character EVER! Wait, didn’t we already read that story? Yeah, we did. It was called DEADPOOL KILLS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE. And it was awesome and epic and, um, other words that equate to awesome and epic. Well, it looks like the ol’ Merc With The Mouth is going to kill everyone and everything all over again. Encore, baby! Hence the explicit “Again” in the title of DEADPOOL KILLS THE MARVEL UNIVERSE AGAIN #1.

There are no do-overs in life. And yet in comics? Oh, hell yeah. Because who doesn’t like a reboot, retcon, or retelling? Therefore we always love the elseworld and “what if” stories. Doing it all over again, with some fun new wrinkles thrown into the story you think you know, can be fun! Since there are only seven basic plots then Deadpool killing all your faves was bound to get a redux treatment. At least it’s with the same creators that brought you the original.

Yup, this new shiny polished reimagining of the “classic” is brought to by the same trigger-happy writer and artist. Cullen Bunn, who’s writing of the fourth-wall breaking mutant has been some of the most fan-favorite of the last decade is going to rewrite Deadpool’s violent outbreak. Dalibor Talajic is also back to put on a display of all the gory details. Thus, we’re all in good hands! How is this all different from the last time that the chimichanga lovin’ assassin killed the Marvel Universe?

The creators have stated that this is a “different time.” Are we in a parallel world? Maybe we’re not even part of the Marvel multiverse. We’ll certainly get to find out starting this Wednesday. Any bets on which Marvel heavy gets taken out first? Spider-Man? Wolverine? Cable? And what’s the spread on how Deadpool wastes folks? I dare say, let the dead pool begin…again!

Moon Girl is the smartest person in the entire Marvel Universe. If you didn’t know then you will after reading this graphic novel. Lunella Lafayette is getting a trade paperback collection of her third adventure. Her stories explored her experience of the world. Finally, this 4th grader is going on tour. She’s about to rub shoulders with heroes from all across the Marvel Universe. Be it the X-Men, Victor von Doom, or The Thing, everyone’s about to learn that she deserves a lot of R-E-S-P-E-C-T. And if they don’t give it to her, well, her best pal, Devil Dinosaur, might just beat it out of them. Together, they’re the perfect combination of brains and brawn!

Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur has been a gem of a series from the House of Ideas. There’re no doors this new dynamic duo cannot bust open. We live in a day and age where the grim and grittier comics are trying to play on an epic scale. Turns out one of the biggest journeys to take is through the eyes of a ten year-old Inhuman. Since the first issue from Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder, this book has been bursting with heart. Not to mention, it’s been delivering heartwarming moments. For those of you who’ve been waiting for the next chapters of Lunella and Devil Dinosaurs story, the anticipation is over.

Moon Girl declared as the smartest person in the entire MU was a welcome shocker. It’s not one they made lightly. It risked of alienating old school readers who love them some Tony Stark and Reed Richards due to controversy. However, Lunella and Devil Dinosaur have represented some of the best new stories out of the entire line of the biggest publisher in comics. She’s an inspiration to everyone she meets in her world and has been to a lot of people in ours. In conclusion, if you’ve been making excuses to avoid getting to know these BFF’s, you’ve run out.

Hey guys- not a lot of new stuff this week at the moment. There are, however some high-ticket items coming in this week and beyond courtesy of the folks from Sideshow.

Scheduled to arrive this week from Sideshow is my personal favorite- the Black Canary. Part of Sideshow’s Premium Format figure line, Dinah Laurel Lance’s statue features her standing atop a base designed to look like a section of a brick wall. Designed by Stanley Artgerm Lau, Dinah looks ready to throw down as she is shushing someone, possibly in preparation to release her earth-shattering Canary Cry. Black Canary is a mixed media statue featuring resin as well as fabric and would make any fan of the character happy. Standing about 21″ high, this piece would make an impressive centerpiece in any DC collection.

Coming relatively soon will be the next piece in Hot Toys’ Captain America: Civil War line- Iron Man! I’d say the figure based on the most recent cinematic armor in Tony Stark’s arsenal should be here sometime within the next week and a half. Based on its appearance in the aforementioned movie, the Iron Man Mark XLVI will be die-cast and have the usual Hot Toys articulation as well as interchangeable parts including a Tony Stark head to swap onto the Iron Man armor. Iron Man Hot Toys always seem to do well, so if you want one of these act as soon as possible. That being said, Iron Man will also feature in Spider-Man: Homecoming and the inevitable Hot Toys figure has already been announced and looks just as awesome as past figures have been.

Fans of old school suspense and horror movies will get a kick out of this next item. Mondo has crafted a 1/6 figure of one of the most renowned film directors ever- Alfred Hitchcock! Dressed in a suit and featuring a director’s chair as well as other accessories, Alfred Hitchcock would be a welcome addition to any film buff’s collection. He should probably arrive around the same time as the above-mentioned Iron Man figure.

NECA surprised me last week with the release of their 1/4 scale Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie Leonardo figure. The third in the series, Leo should be a popular item as he joins his brothers on your toy shelf. Leonardo features several points of articulation as well as his trademark katana. We also received the “lost” wave of Prometheus action figures at the tail end of last week which features figures of Shaw, Fifield and Vickers. Each figure in this set is sculpted to resemble their respective actors and are in scale with past Prometheus/Aliens/Predator figures. Moreover, NECA recently announced series 12 of their Aliens line and it will feature two battle-damaged Xenomorphs, a new Ripley figure and a new Vasquez figure. I think my NECA Aliens figure collection is going to become a Vasquez/Ripley collection at this point as these new figures completely hit it out of the park.

That’s all for me this week- I should be at a convention this weekend and I will try and have a report here next week! See you then!

Her Rebirth has been something pretty extraordinary to behold. In the waning moths of the New 52 era, Themyscira’s greatest living import had been on rough times both critically and commercially in comic shops. After a resurgence for the first couple of years under the creative guide of Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang, fans had been leaving her on the shelf. Like so many titles though, the new initiative from DC ended up being a benefit to the characters, comic shops, and comic book readers. Except Wonder Woman has been unique even in the way she came charging back to the forefront of DC.

With a twice-monthly publishing schedule now, Mr. Rucka devised a way to keep his superstar artists fresh by having two stories in alternating issues. “The Lies” and “The Truth” have rolled out in the even numbered installments while the odds belonged to “Year One” and “Godwatch.” It was ambitious, to say the least. It did pose a challenge though: Would readers be able to keep up with both stories? Would it confuse consumers? How would they relate to one another. At long last, even though it’s not quite as long since, again, the book comes out twice a month, we’re going to see how everything comes to a close with what has been promised as an incredible finale. One of Wonder Woman’s most beloved creators is saying, “Goodbye”, and this issue will be the defining moment in his celebrated return to her adventures.

Will this final issue be the payoff we WW fans have been waiting for? Find out tomorrow!

Fan-favorite creators Gail Simone and Cat Staggs are bringing you a new creator-owned series from Image Comics. It’s a deadly body swapping story involving a Chicago hitman and a Seatlle housewife. It sounds like an eighties sitcom put through the Cinemax lens (you never watched Banshee or Strike Back? Get to it!). There’re some high hopes that this will be a mind-bending hit from the home of the most critically acclaimed creators looking for some more editorial control over their content. For fans of sci-fi crime and mistaken identity stories that Hitchcock would have salivated over, this might be the new read you didn’t know you were missing.

The kind of story Crosswind is offering hinges on execution. In general, the best chance we have of figuring out if the execution will be excellent are the preview pages and the creators. It’s no secret that there are about five hundred comics that come out every month. That’s a lot of paper competing for the credits in your wallet. There has to be something to entice you that this series above a lot of others is going to be worth what you’ve worked hard for and will be a treat for that effort.

Gail Simone last hit us with Clean Room. It was a rather dark turn from a writer known for giving levity in even the most dire circumstances her characters go through. It was a critical home run for Vertigo, a publisher that was in need of a few of those at the time. Cat Staggs has been a cover hitmaker for a few years and has been growing more confident in her interior work. Her covers for the Wonder Woman ’77 story made Lynda Carter fans squeal and her Orphan Black work was the best part of the series. She’s been a highlight for every project she’s touched thus far. There’s a real chance of a new dynamic duo on the creator-owned scene.

Crosswind has a familiar hook, two intriguing respected creators, and the fact that they’re about to unleash their vision as they see fit on our shelves. Could be a fun ride filled with a lot of barrel rolls.

Over the last couple of years Peter Parker has undergone a makeover of sorts. He hasn’t been the only Spider-Man web slinging around the city. He’s also now the head of a global company called Parker Industries. It’s a little different from the bullied nerd in science class or the photographer scraping together enough to make ends meet. Peter Parker, in a lot of ways, has had a lot of luck going for him once he got his mind and body back as his own. Indeed, the Superior Spider-Man did a lot for Pete and he’s been reaping the benefits of it ever since. This hasn’t been your traditional friendly neighborhood wallcrawler.

Now, from the mind that brought you the recent Howard The Duck romp comes a back to basics approach to ol’ webhead. Chip Zdarsky and Adam Kubert are a dream team. They’re here to show you that Peter Parker’s as much of a lovable loser as he always was. Even if he’s winning on paper with a high-rise in Manhattan, that doesn’t mean he’s not got the soul of the Spider-Man we all grew up with. Now, this isn’t going to replace the main Amazing ongoing series. Instead, think of Spectacular as a sister series.

Finally, Peter will be back patrolling the neighborhood, grabbing a bite with Johnny Storm, maybe a classic team-up, and dealing with complex romantic debacles. There’ll be old fan favorite foes and some new ones who’ll be looking to build a place amongst the classics. And it’s Chip Zdarsky, so, you know, banter will abound. We gotta have a snarky Spidey!

Batman‘s greatest failure is on display in this super-sized milestone, Batman #25.

DC Rebirth‘s primary series about the Dark Knight, scribed by Tom King, has been mostly on a steady incline in quality. We’ve had touches of a lot of great villains throughout the run bringing in heavy favorites with the likes of Catwoman, Bane, and Scarface. Now though, the series is ready to touch on a couple cornerstones of Batman’s rogues gallery with the new arc, “The War of Jokes and Riddles.” The title should give you a couple of the unsubtle hints as to who we expect will be the Big Bads of this latest story in Batman’s seventy-six year history. However, what we’re being promised isn’t just the next Joker or Riddler scheme, the creators are going to take us back and explore one of Batman’s worst moments in his career.

Last issue featured the a major development in the life of both Bruce Wayne and his vigilante name. Will this prove to be the perfect time to go down a trip of memory lane? What is causing the Caped Crusader to hit the pause button on moving forward? What will he hope to learn and what lessons will we want to take from revisiting this part of his past?

In his own voice, Batman will be narrating this, at least first, chapter of a story meant to invoke classics like Year One and The Long Halloween. If we are indeed going back to the more formative years of Batman’s time as the protector of Gotham then that should well be cause of celebration. While it hopefully won’t be as dense on a month to month basis as Zero Year was, it will be interesting to see what new aspects of Batman’s early days that DC Comics will allow King to expose. One thing’s for sure, if it’s as good as we hope this issue will be then the bi-monthly shipping schedule will definitely make the wait bearable for the next chapter.

The Epic Untold Saga BehindFRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY (1973)Explodes in the Special New Issue ofLITTLE SHOPPE OF HORRORS #38

by Sam Irvin

I’ve been a fan of Frankenstein: The True Story ever since it was first broadcast on NBC-TV in two parts in 1973. First of all, the cast was incredible: James Mason, Leonard Whiting, Michael Sarrazin, David McCallum, Jane Seymour, Nicola Pagett, Agnes Moorehead, Sir Ralph Richardson, Sir John Gielgud and Tom Baker! The scope of the movie was epic – and I later learned it had the highest budget of any made-for-television movie AND the highest budget of any horror film up to that time.

When Richard Klemensen, editor and publisher of Little Shoppe of Horrors, offered me the opportunity to spearhead an issue of the magazine devoted entirely to Frankenstein: The True Story, I couldn’t resist the opportunity.

This movie inspired an entire generation of writers and directors, myself included. Immediately upon seeing the film, Anne Rice was directly inspired to write Interview with a Vampire – and she has contributed a foreword to the issue.

Mark Gatiss (Sherlock) is another fan who contributed an essay called “Queer Frankenstein” examining the gay subtext of the film – which was scripted by legendary gay couple Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy.

Guillermo del Toro wrote that the movie is “quirky, brilliant and moving.”

So why is this film so often forgotten? It is my mission to rectify that injustice and to present, for the very first time anywhere, a detailed analysis of the making of this groundbreaking milestone – with over twenty interviews of cast and crew, including Leonard Whiting, Jane Seymour, David McCallum and co-screenwriter Don Bachardy. Whether you are a fan or not, the adventure behind its creation is so astounding, it is an epic unto itself. Prepare to catch your jaw before it drops to the floor.

To give you just a taste of what I have uncovered during years of investigation, here is an excerpt to whet your appetite – a chapter entitled The Elsa Lanchester Crisis:

Hunt Stromberg Jr., producer of Frankenstein: The True Story, set his sights on collecting guest stars to play the various featured roles in the film. For the part of Mrs. Blair, the nosy landlady of Dr. Frankenstein – which Ingrid Bergman and Bette Davis had already turned down – Stromberg wanted a “Una O’Connor type,” referring to the quirky Irish character actress who played Minnie, the mettlesome and skittish housekeeper, in Bride of Frankenstein.

In 1942, when Universal released The Ghost of Frankenstein, critics noted that certain actors in the movie, such as Lionel Atwill and Dwight Frye, had portrayed different characters in earlier Frankenstein films, prompting the studio to issue a press release stating that it was “the custom of the studio” to bring back some of “the same faces in each succeeding feature of the Frankenstein series.”

Inspired by this hallowed tradition, Stromberg suddenly became obsessed with the idea of Mrs. Blair being portrayed by Elsa Lanchester, 70 – next-door-neighbor of Frankenstein: The True Story screenwriters Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy – who had so memorably played Mary Shelley and the female creature in Bride. Stromberg met Lanchester in early 1935 when he was just 11-years-old – when she was simultaneously shooting his father’s movie Naughty Marietta at MGM and Bride of Frankenstein at Universal – and, from then on, she’d remained a family friend. In the 1960s, when Stromberg was VP of Programming for CBS, he personally cast her as a guest star on a number of CBS shows – and, impishly, he made a habit of ending letters with this tongue-in-cheek wrap-up: “Must close now, as Elsa Lanchester has just arrived to show off her new wart.”

Though she occasionally grumbled about her fame as the Bride, in truth, Lanchester basked in the glory of her most famous role – and, in the autumn of her career, she did not shy away from spooky projects that played upon that image, including Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968), Willard (1971) and an episode of Night Gallery (1972). And she certainly had no problem adding those two familiar wavy white streaks to her frizzy mane when she guest-starred as a mad scientist on The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Brain-Killer Affair (1965) – a shameless sendup of her electrifying coiffure in Bride. That gig also introduced Lanchester to U.N.C.L.E. series regular David McCallum who would work with her again in Frankenstein: The True Storyif Stromberg had his way.

Lanchester truly wanted to do it – but, alas, she was already committed to shoot two back-to-back, low-budget horror films in Hollywood at the very same time – Terror in the Wax Museum and Arnold for Bing Crosby Productions. Gnashing his teeth, Stromberg offered to buy out Lanchester’s contract but the producers held firm. Then, he turned to his associate producer Ian Lewis and said, “My father managed to work around Bride of Frankenstein in order to get Elsa into his movie. Why can’t we figure out a way to do the same?”

Heartbroken, Lanchester honored her contract and remained Stateside to perform in two of the most forgettable films on her resume. What’s even sadder is that, after finishing those films, she didn’t work again for two-and-a-half years (until her comeback in the all-star spoof Murder by Death).

For the role of Mrs. Blair, Stromberg finally landed Agnes Moorehead, 72, who had won an Emmy, two Golden Globes, and four Oscar nominations – not to mention her iconic role as Endora, Samantha’s witch of a mother, in Bewitched (1964-1972).

As luck would have it, Moorehead knew Una O’Connor quite well, having worked with the actress in RKO’s Government Girl (1943). So, Stromberg’s directive to play Mrs. Blair as “a Una O’Connor type” was taken to heart – resulting in Moorehead affecting a thick Irish accent and hamming it up for all it was worth.

To help us celebrate the completion of this issue, events are being scheduled as though this were a book. Well, it pretty much is!

To kick things off on the West Coast, Creature Features – Taylor White’s amazing store and gallery in Burbank, California – is hosting a retrospective discussion and exhibit (of FTTS memorabilia and all the original artwork in the magazine) on Sunday, June 18, 2:00-3:30 PM, with guest panelists James Duke Mason, Julian Barnes (supporting actor in the film), Denise Mellé (widow of the film’s composer Gil Mellé), artist Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series) and yours truly. Limited edition prints, signed and numbered, of the cover mural artwork by Mark Maddox will be on sale exclusively at the Creature Features store/gallery and website.

On the weekend of June 23-25, LSoH editor Dick Klemensen, cover artist Mark Maddox, interior artist Neil D. Vokes and I will be attending the Monster Bash Convention near Pittsburgh, PA, to meet, greet and drumbeat the issue.

Then, it’s on to Manhattan where Dread Central & Forbidden Planet are co-presenting a FREE screening and discussion of Frankenstein: The True Story at the Quad Cinema, 34 West 13th Street, New York, NY 10011, on Tuesday, June 27, 6:00-10:00 PM, hosted by legendary Tony Timpone (former editor of Fangoria). A unique 16mm print will be projected with everything from the original telecast, plus extra seconds of censored footage only seen in the foreign theatrical release. Guest panelists will include Alec Smight (son of the late Jack Smight, director of Frankenstein: The True Story), Philippe Spurrell (founder of Cinéclub/Film Society of Montreal; curator of this unique 16mm print), James Anthony Phillips (who wrote the sidebar on Gil Melle’s score for the issue) and, again, yours truly.

And, finally, on Thursday, June 29, from 6:00-8:00 PM, I will be signing copies of the magazine and chatting up a storm at Forbidden Planet, 832 Broadway, New York, NY 10003, thanks to the store’s intrepid manager / gore guru Matt Desiderio.

I look forward to seeing you at these special events and/or communicating with you on my Facebook page. I hope you enjoy the issue! It has been the ultimate labor-of-love.

All hail the princess known as Diana of Themyscira as she finally headlines her own solo feature film this week. As a result of the Wonder Woman film releasing this week, DC is making this Saturday June 3rd, Wonder Woman Day. Similar to previous years’ Batman Days, DC has provided some special material for Wonder Woman day this year, including a couple of special edition comic books as well as a tiara and bracelets. Further information is forthcoming on what else will take place in store on Wonder Woman day, but it should be fun.

If you’ve got an itch for Wonder Woman items, we’ve got several figures from the new film including the Princess Diana figure, Steve Trevor, the cloaked Wonder Woman and Queen Hippolyta figures from the DC Multiverse series, a bunch of awesome dolls including Diana in her blue dress from one of the more anticipated scenes shown in the trailer as well as other Mattel items. We also have a few DC Collectibles figures and statues as well as miscellaneous other Wonder Woman product.

If you want to read more about the Amazing Amazon, there are several graphic novels available including Diana solo, with the Justice League of America as well as teamed up with Superman. Recommended runs from this Wonder Woman fan include the George Perez 1980’s series, the Greg Rucka run from the early 2000s as well as his Rebirth stuff from the past year and Brian Azzarello’s New 52 storyline. There is also a Wonder Woman: The Art and Making of the Film book scheduled to drop this week featuring the behind the scenes aspect of the highly anticipated movie.

Briefly:

Old Man Logan makes his debut in the Marvel Gallery line from Diamond Select Toys. Standing approximately 9″ tall, Logan joins previous figures like Deadpool, Thor and Spider-Man in this popular line of vinyl figures.

Hot Toys has a few items scheduled to drop in the next few weeks including the Yoda figure and the Suicide Squad Purple Outfit Joker. Check back for news in this column on those as they are sure to be popular items.

Anyway that’s all for me this week- go see Wonder Woman this weekend, I definitely will! I’ll catch you next time!

Forbidden Planet is beyond stoked to inform you about not one, but two upcoming events for the release of issue #38 of Little Shoppe of Horrors!

A FREE SCREENING & DISCUSSION of FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY at THE QUAD CINEMA on TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 6:00-10:00 PM

AND

An IN-STORE SIGNING WITH SAM IRVIN at FORBIDDEN PLANET NYC on THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 6:00-8:00 PM

FREE SCREENING INFO:

Dread Central & Forbidden Planet in association with Cinéclub/Film Society of Montreal present a FREE New York City Screening & Discussion of FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY (1973) to celebrate the new issue of Richard Klemensen’sLITTLE SHOPPE OF HORRORS #38 featuring Sam Irvin’s definitive study on the making of this beloved, all-star, two-part telefilm.

The screening will take place on Tuesday, June 27, 6:00-10:00 PM at the recently reopened Quad Cinema located at 34 W 13th Street. Seating is limited. You MUST RSVP to Dread Central to guarantee a seat. No one will be admitted to the theater who is not on the RSVP list. Email your RSVP request to Dread Central at: screenings@dreadcentral.com

FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY will be projected from a unique 16mm print- which includes everything from the original telecast (including the James Mason introduction), plus extra seconds of censored footage only seen in the foreign theatrical release. Clocking in at an epic running time of 3 hours and 13 minutes.

The screening and Q&A will be hosted by Tony Timpone (former editor of Fangoria) and include special guests Sam Irvin (special project editor of the issue; director of ELVIRA’S HAUNTED HILLS, OBLIVION, DANTE’S COVE; co-executive producer of GODS AND MONSTERS), Alec Smight (son of the late Jack Smight, director of FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY; Alec visited the set daily and has written an essay in the magazine; Alec is now the three-time Emmy-nominated director-producer of CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION and CRIMINAL MINDS: BEYOND BORDERS), Philippe Spurrell (film archivist and founder of Cinéclub/Film Society of Montreal (CFS); curator of the unique 16mm print that will be projected; Philippe has written an essay about the various cuts of the film for the issue), and James Anthony Phillips (expert on composer Gil Mellé who wrote a sidebar for the issue on Mellé’s score to FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY).

Forbidden Planet will sell copies of Little Shoppe of Horrors #38 at the screening and all special guests will sign copies of the magazine at the conclusion of the Q&A.

IN-STORE EVENT INFO:

If you can’t make it to the screening you will still have a chance to meet Sam Irvin and pick up an autographed copy of Little Shoppe of Horror #38 at Forbidden Planet NYC on June 29th from 6 -8PM. That’s two days after the free screening.

PRE-ORDER SIGNED COPIES:

Wait… What’s that you say? You can’t make it to the screening and you also can’t make the in-store signing but you still want a copy of the new issue of Little Shoppe of Horrors autographed by Sam Irvin. Well don’t sweat it. Forbidden Planet has got your back as usual. You can pre-order signed copies from our webstore using the following link.

After being delayed one week (not bad when you consider the track record for DC Comics and Marvel’s bigger arcs that stretch across several issues) the, hopefully, grand finale of “The Button” is going to hit the shelves running this week. We’ll have one final lenticular cover that will leave fans of the JSA and legacy characters from the DC Universe salivating. Plus we’ll get to see if DC’s two greatest detectives can solve this timey-wimey murder mystery. And of course we’ll have to figure out if the resolution was worth creating the problem in the first place.

After seeing father and son Batmen unite in Batman #22, the Flash and our Batman are back running through the Speed Force as the Flashpoint timeline is wiped out in there wake, something we’d all thought had already happened but it turns out some powerful entity (paging Dr. Manhattan?) has been keeping together. As they race through the Speed Force still seeking answers to the murder of Eobard Thawne, the Reverse-Flash, they encounter…Eobard Thawne, the Reverse-Flash! The not quite dead yet speedster villain provided some tantalizing clues and is surely onto the scene at the end of Batman #21that kicked off this whole storyline but where are we being led to?

Hopes are high as this has been a damn good jolt for Batman and Flash, if not thus far the be-all end-all storyline full of reveals a lot of readers have been clamoring for since DC Universe: Rebirth #1. Expect at least one big reveal and possibly in this week’s final chapter. At least, that’s what I’m expecting!

It’s been a difficult life for Jean Grey. Well, it might be if she doesn’t find a way to change her destiny. Trapped in our present, blocked from returning to her past, she’s about to find herself fighting off her future. Jean Grey’s never had her own solo series before. With the spotlight solely on Marvel Girl in this week’s Jean Grey #1 the big question that’s going to be raised is can she avoid becoming the Phoenix, and thus turning into the Dark Phoenix that, you know, murders a planet and almost kills all the X-Men then dies repeatedly? (Yeah, I know it’s a run on sentence, so’s her character history)

Dennis Hopeless is no stranger to Jean Grey, having written young Jean’s adventures in All-New X-Men. He’s a good fit to chronicle her destiny defying mission. With fellow X-Men franchise artist in tow, Victor Ibanez, there’s a lot of possibility for a great coming of age story about denying the inevitable by the will and actions of one person. If the preview pages are to be believed, this Jean Grey is ready to strike out a bit on her own and find her place. Except just when she think she’s found some space for change, she’s set to experience a vision of the Phoenix Force finding her and fulfilling the deadly fate we’ve read for decades. Will Jean Grey only fight the future and bring about her destiny? Can she find a way to avoid all that death and dying? We can find out together this week in Jean Grey #1 and take it from there.

DC’s two greatest detectives come together in Batman #21 as the mystery of “The Button” begins!

A good slow build is something we comic book readers don’t always appreciate nowadays. We’re becoming a culture of bingers who want the whole story on demand. It has to be on our time and oftentimes that means publishers rush through the journey. With “The Button” storyline that will take place across Batman and Flash over the next four weeks, DC Comics is looking to prove that sometimes the best things are ones we can endure waiting for.

At last, the next major step forward from the revelations of DC Universe: Rebirth #1 about the iconic smiley face button that appears in the Batcave will be explored! Will it bring the DCU that much closer to confronting the world of Alan Moore’s Watchmen? Well, we’ve been marching there all along haven’t we?

Rooted from last FCBD’s DC Rebirth story, then continuing with continuity-threatening revelations from DC Universe: Rebirth #1, this story has been building across several titles in DC for a year. Think about it, Mr. Oz and the events of the recent Superman Reborn storyline, the implications about Eobawd Thawne and Flashpoint-Batman, Thomas Wayne in Flash #19, the importance of Psycho-Pirate’s ability to remember all previous DC continuities throughout Tom King’s current run on Batman, it’s all building to this next major turning point.

Thawne, Thomas Wayne, and Psycho Pirate will be part of the mystery that Batman and Flash will be investigating. Time altering implications have been promised. This is the next major step forward in the two year epic that DC’s said will carry on across their entire publishing line. It’s no secret that after this story, Batman will realize that war is imminent. But war with who or what?

A kudos to DC, it’s not easy anymore to make us wait for all the answers but based on the quality of the breadcrumbs they’ve been leaving us, it definitely feels like the answers we’re about to get could be very satisfying. Of course, everything won’t be revealed over the next four weeks. After all, where’s the fun in that? Hey, maybe I’m wrong though, maybe what a Comedian once said is true, “This is a joke. This is all a joke.” If it is, will we be laughing or cringing when it’s done?